What religious beliefs where around during the times of the Salem Witch Trials?

[theCardinalbird]

What religious beliefs where around during the times of the Salem Witch Trials? I’m reading the Crucible so I’m curious

 

[LostSheep7]

They were puritans.

 

[theCardinalbird]

They were puritans.

Is that a religion in itself??

 

[Wesrock]

I don’t know if anyone calling themselves “Puritans” are still around today, but the Puritans in England and who came to America didn’t think the reforms in the Church of England went far enough. They were a specific denomination (sub-demonination?), in a sense.

 

[theCardinalbird]

Ahhh okie

 

[LostSheep7]

It’s a branch of calvinism

 

[LostSheep7]

I don’t know if anyone calling themselves “Puritans” are still around today

Unfortunately there has been a calvinist revival in the US and also in other countries (Brazil, for example).
In my former church many people were obsessed with the puritans and even described themselves as their followers.
Fun fact: John Bunyan, author of the famous book The Pilgrim’s Progress (one of the most published books in history), was a Puritan.
To me it’s a mistery how can anyone like that book.

 

[Medawlinno]

Not sure if this church is found outside of New England today, but the Puritan church/religion came to be what we know today (at least here in New England) the Congregational Church. If you drive around here, especially through a small town or village, you’ll likely come across a “First Congregational Church of X” where ‘x’ is the name of the town/village. These are all the old Puritan churches.

So essentially, they’re still around today (in New England); they’re just called Congregationalists instead of Puritans.

Those who led the trials in Salem were all Puritans as was everyone else.

 

[ltwin]

What religious beliefs where around during the times of the Salem Witch Trials? I’m reading the Crucible so I’m curious

The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts. The colony was founded by Puritans who were Calvinist members of the Church of England who felt that it was still too Roman Catholic. They were basically the same as very conservative Presbyterians.

The Puritans of New England rejected the episcopal church polity of both the Anglicans and Catholics. Therefore, they practiced Congregational polity–each local church governed its own affairs.

Puritans believed in the necessity of having a conversion experience and that the church should be made up of “visible saints”. In order to be admitted to full communion (access to the Lord’s Supper and the right to have your children baptized), you had to give evidence of having had an experience of grace (we’d call it today a “born again experience”).

The Puritans produced many “conversion narratives” which were written by those seeking full church membership. The congregation would consider the narrative and ultimately vote on whether to admit the person to full church membership. If admitted, the person would be required to agree to the church covenant.

In the play, this is what is meant by being “covenanted.” Covenanted Christians were those who had been baptized and also had experienced a conversion experience and had fully owned the church covenant.

 

[ltwin]

So essentially, they’re still around today (in New England); they’re just called Congregationalists instead of Puritans.

Also, many Congregationalist churches are members of the United Church of Christ today. Those tend to be the more liberal types and are very different from the Puritans of the 16th and 17th centuries!

Also, many Unitarian Universalist congregations began as Puritan Congregatiionalist churches, but they later drifted from the faith.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I’ve visited Salem many times and have read the history of it.

First, at the Salem Witch Trials, of the 19 hung, none were witches. All refused to sign a confession of practicing witchcraft, which would have been false. Being they were Christians, they’d rather go to their deaths than sign a false confession.

Second, the one person who did sign, was Tituba, the slave girl. When a person signed such a document, they would be treated badly by the people of the town but being a slave, she was treated badly anyway and chose to sign the false confession rather than die.

Third, by the end of the the Salem Witch Trials, it’s suggested that they were driven more toward a land grab than ridding the village of witches. Under Common Law, which still exists today in MA, if the land is unused, the neighbor could take possession of the land, farm it and it becomes theirs after 20 years. Eliminating the neighbor by accusing them of practicing witchcraft, would serve an individual’s agenda. This is still debated by historians however and it’s agreed that in the beginning, it was the hysteria of young girls which began the events.

Jim

 

[Medawlinno]

Yes - I think they ‘merged’ with a few other churches in the last 30-40 years or so (maybe more).

No, they’re certainly not the stereotypical Puritans of the 1600’s

 

[Medawlinno]

Yes - to the Puritans, witchcraft essentially equated with Devil worship, or being in ‘league with the Devil’. Any intelligent woman or folk-healer was regarded in high suspicion and, of course all were innocent.

My wife is descended from several individuals involved in the trials; both the accused and the accusers. None of her ancestors were hanged; they died in the Salem Gaol during the winter awaiting to be hung. Had they lived, that following Spring the court of Oyer and Terminer was dissolved and ‘spectral evidence’ was no longer valid. They would have been freed.

There are a number of many interesting theories as to what initiated the trials - land rights were likely a part of it, particularly (I believe) if the woman was a widow.

 

[ltwin]

And to be fair to the Puritans, the beliefs which inspired the Witch Trials were not unique to them. There were far more witch hunts in Europe than there ever were in America.

 

[Limoncello4021]

One person, the old man Giles Corey, was “pressed to death” and not hanged. Several dogs were also hanged.
The hysteria of the time has led some to conclude that they may have been suffering from lead poisoning or something else that tainted the water. It is an interesting speculation.

 

[Pup7]

Also, many Unitarian Universalist congregations began as Puritan Congregatiionalist churches, but they later drifted from the faith.

That’s one way to put it. Wow - I’d have never guessed that in a million years. It’s like the pendulum swung completely the other way in almost a defiant way.

 

[Pup7]

One person, the old man Giles Corey, was “pressed to death” and not hanged. Several dogs were also hanged.
The hysteria of the time has led some to conclude that they may have been suffering from lead poisoning or something else that tainted the water. It is an interesting speculation.

I’ve always read it was essentially mass hysteria and the crowd mentality. I’m actually reading a book about this at the moment. It started with two teenage girls.

I’ve been to Salem and seen some of the graves. It’s very sad, even all these centuries later.

 

[KyPerson]

John Milton (Paradise Lost) was also a Puritan. So was Isaac Watts who wrote Joy to the World and many other hymns.

 

[Augustinian]

So essentially, they’re still around today (in New England); they’re just called Congregationalists instead of Puritans.

That’s partially correct. Some of the old Puritan churches, like the 1st of Boston became Unitarian Universalist congregations as well.

The Puritan movement pretty much imploded.

 

[TigerLily-1]

The Puritans produced many “conversion narratives” which were written by those seeking full church membership. The congregation would consider the narrative and ultimately vote on whether to admit the person to full church membership. If admitted, the person would be required to agree to the church covenant.

What would have happened to someone who was a believer but did not have a conversion experience with narrative or someone who was not admitted to full church membership? Were they looked down on?